Apparatus for salvaging metal from cans



Dec. 7, 1954 v. A. MUGAvERo APPARATUS FOR SALVAGINC METAL FROM cms 2Sheets-Sheet 1 m m, E .im MM@ a, lljj 0U Af LZ m C .m V5

Filed Feb. 15, 1951 n lli Dec. 7, 1954; v. A. MUGAVERO 2,696,254

APPARATUS FR SALVAGING METAL FROM CANS Filed Feb. 15, 1951 2 sheets-neet2 t n Snventor Vance/1 A. Magami/q GAA/Lw Gttomegs United StatesPatent() 2,696,254 APPARATUS FORSASGING METAL FROM Vincent A.-Mngavero., Ridgefield, Conn- Application February 15, 1951, Serial No.,211,112.5 claims. (ci. 154-61) The present invention relates -toapparatns for .dise .Inantling metallic 'containers or cans for thereofand especially for per-forming the cutting tions during snchdismantling.- f t Many commodities. s ch as canned fruits, vegetables,beverages., etc.v are packed and shipped in fnietall.. .tainers' or canswhich. after .being opened and tents thereof removed, are considered asvalneless .a discarded. lIn some. .cases where `co1rsiderable qnan ofcans are nsed, some efforts are Aeapended to save. them forsale asionic. .In ,these cases. however, the cans saved would occupy so muchstorage space if they wereallowed to remain in cylindrical forrri thatthey are normally bent and flattened by any convenient means so .as tobe more compact and reqpire less space. As a result, the-cans are sodistorted and bent that they are unfit forr any further `use except ltobe crushed and used as `raw materials vfor a completely new cycle offabricating processes.

It is a pnrpose of the present invention `to provide for apparatus tocnt the metallic containers, l.or cans, .in such a manner that the majorportion thereof may be readily reclaimed- It is a further purpose of thepresent invention to prof vide for apparatus to `cut the .cans in such amanner that the portions to .be reclaimed will lie flat and voccupy lessstorage space.

I t s a still further purpose of the present invention to provide forapparatus to cut ythe cans in such a manner that the major portion ofthe material thereof will lhave en immediate use directly without goingthrough a completely new cycle of fabricating processes.

` An advantageous feature ofthe present invention is the provision of asimple device capable of readily cuttingand disrnaitling cans with aminimum .of time and `effort in.- volve Y.

Other purposes, advantages and features of the present 5 invention willbecome apparent from ythe following de.-

s'cription lof the preferred embodiment of the invention referring tothe accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation ofthe apparatus for cutting open thebody portion of the cans to .be salvaged.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional plan view taken on theline 2.,-2of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is across-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fige1.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation showing a cylindrical container or can ofthe conventional type;

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the can shown in Fig. 4 with .the endsremoved.

Fig. 6 is a perspective kview showing the manner of cutting and removingthe seam portion.

Fig. 7 shows the ilattened body portion of the can.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the containercutting apparatus 10 is driven .by a

motor V12 mounted as by bltsupon a lstaund'tfaia base 14,. yAA 7 motorshaft extends from the motor and has mounted thereon a driving pinion 16which is secured thereto -by any convenient means .sach vas a set screw.1.8-

' If desired., the nnotor A1.2 may .be replaced by a crank or a. handleand the driving pinion 1.6 may be .rotated man nally; lbut such requiresconsiderably more. dexterity .on the'partof theoperator and has beenfonnd to he more time' .consuming However. sneh modification is possibleand docs' exist and... where `merely a. small. onantity of containersare to bc 'Inn thr ghtlie ,cuttingl pparatnfs, ...19, isfopnd, to bepreferable e ICC y2 snel; a case, .the handle .shonld be positioned soas `to be convenient for the use of the operator.

.A container positioning and cutting frame 2t.) .is mounted ppon thebase 1.4v and :has a shaft 22 rotatably mounted therein by means ofbearings .24, 424. A gear ..26 is .nted lon `shaft ,22 and is -secnredthereto .as .by a .set screw 28 and meshes with driving pinion 1.6 so asto .be driven thereby'.l A vWorm. .gear 30 is scented to shaft .22. byany desired means, such .a set screw. so as to rotate therewith andmeshes with worm wheels .3.2, .34 located above and below .39, .Theseworm wheels 32, ;34 are mounted ,fory .rotation npon shafts 3,6, 38spaced from and. posi tioned at right angles to the .worm shaft ,22..Sprocket wheels 40, 4Z arernonnted on shafts 36. 3 8; so as .to rotatetherewith- .The trarne *.20 extends. outwardly in a direction away .frommotor 1,2 and has. air-upper arm 19 and a lower .arm 2.1. which providessupports ,for rotatable shafts 44, 46 respccl vcly. .said shafts beingmounted to extend parallel to shafts 36. .L- .Sprocket wheels 48. S0 ofthe same size and number of teeth as sprocket wheels 4l), 4 2 aresecured to shafts 4,4, .46 as by setscrews, and sprocket chains 52, 54are looped around sprocket wheels 40, 48 and .42, 50 respectively, indriving connection.

Consideration of Figs. l and 2 will reveal .that the shafts 44, tlimaybegdriven at equal speeds by motor 12 through the described gear trainand sprocket mechanism.

yAs shown in Figs. 1 and 3, cutting members 56,56 are mounted on theupper shaft 44 and are secured thereto to rotate therewith. The cuttingmembers 56, 56 are separated .by laspacing member .or flange 58 so as to-present two ,spaced cutting edges.

A feedwheel or roller 60 is mounted on the lower shaft .4.6 and issecured thereto to rotate therewith. The thickness and sizeof the feedwheel 60 is such that `its outer edges enter snugly between the cuttingmembers 56, 56st) as to form a pair of shearing members therewith. Theperiphery of the feed roller may be coined .or knurled or otherwisescored to .give it a lbetter gripping surface, for purposes to becomeapparent hereinafter.

The spacing member 58 and the feeding roller `60 may be made in sets ofvarious thicknesses and it is apparent that .the distance between theshearing surfaces may thus be rpreselected for any desired width. Thefaces of the feedrollers should be ground smooth so as to cooperate moreaccurately-with the sharpened edges of the cutting members 56, 56,.

In Fig. 4 is shown a cylindrical receptacle C of the conventional typecomprising a body portion 70 which is rolled into its cylindrical shapeand the edges are rolled,

discs orV end members 7 4 close the top andbottorn of the cylindricalbody portion 70 and in such a fashion the container C is formed.

The first step in the dismantling of the can is the removal of the endmembers 74, which operation may be performed by any of the well knowncutting devices on fthe market which are capable of cutting oif theentire top and'bottom of the can. The result of this first step is shownin Fig. 5 and the remaining body portion 70a now has become an open,hollow cylindrical member. It is on this form ofthe container that theapparatus of the present v invention is best suited to function.`

body portion g is fed into the bite or nip of the l cnlttingmemberso,56, vand the ,feed roller 60 .so that the lengthwise seam 72"l ie sbetween the cutting edges. The coined or knurled. face of the .feedroller immediately seizes the ledge of the can which is then drawn intothe body of the cutting apparatus and the seam 72 is cut out along witha narrow segment of the adjacent body portion in the .form of a narrowstrip 74, as shown in Fig. 6

' The remaining portion 70h is thus freed of the seam 72 as well as theend portions 74 and may be easily rolled ont'tlat by any desired machinewhich can be made of a series of rollers like a wire straightener. Therolled out flattened body portion 7Gb. is shown in Fig. FVlhe'iiatpieces 70h may then. passed through washf ins, or scrdbbine, .devices acontinuons .cleaning process..

3 If desired, soaps or detergents may be used, or brushes and a spraytreatment, to clean the pieces. The nature of the cleaning will, ofcourse, vary as to the nature of the former contents of the can. Whenclean, the at pieces may be reused as desired and are not limited to usefor making other cans.

In some cases it has been found advisable to position an idler guideroller 76 in front of and in alignment with the feed roller 60 so as toassist in the presentation of the body portion 70b to the cuttingwheels. If desired, this guide wheel may be positioned in alignment withthe cutting wheels, or may even be driven in positive fashion to assistin the positioning and cutting.

The body portion 70a is illustrated in FigsA 1 and 3 as being presentedaround the upper arm 19 of the frame 20 but it is to be observed thatthe body portion could be presented around the lower arm 21 of the frame20, as desired. The sizes of the arms 19 and 21 determine the minimumdiameter of can which may be dismantled and reclaimed and the preferredapparatus illustrated in the drawings will accommodate cans from a #2size (2l/z cups) up to a #'10 size (13 cups). However, such is to beconsidered as merely illustrative of the present invention and notlimitative thereof, and the invention could be applied to cans of the 8oz. size, or smaller, if desired, or necessary.

An opening 80 may be provided in the bottom of the arm 21 to permit thecut strip 75 to fall therethrough and be collected in a receptacle anddisposed of as junk for any desired purpose.

It is not essential that the cutting elements be driven, although suchis preferable. It has been found that stationary cutting elements couldbe used in lieu thereof, provided the coined or scored peripheral edgesof the feed wheel possesses suicient gripping action on the cylindricalsurface of the can to force it past the cutting elements to accomplishthe required shearing action.

The invention is not to be considered as limited to use with cylindricalcontainers but also nds use with containers having cross sections whichare oblong, rectangular, oval, or any similar shape.

Other variations and modifications may be made within the scope of theclaims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the character described for removing a longitudinalstrip from a tubular member, a cutting device comprising an elongatesupporting means, a pair of cutting wheels mounted at the end of saidsupporting means to rotate with their cutting edges in planes extendingaxially of said supporting means, means to separate said cutting wheelsby a predetermined distance to form a space therebetween, a rotatablefeed wheel having a thickness to enable entry of said wheel into thespace between said cutting wheels, supporting means mounting said feedwheel to extend between said cutting wheels, at least one of thesupporting means and wheel carried thereby being of a size to passlongitudinally through the tubular member, means to drive said cuttingwheels and feed wheel, said drive means being so mounted on saidsupporting means and connected to the wheels as to leave the spacebetween said supporting means unobstructed, said feed wheel having aroughened gripping surface to advance and feed the member to be cut andsaid wheel having side surfaces to cooperate with said cutting wheels tocut the member,whereby the member being advanced and fed has cut out ofand removed therefrom a longitudinal strip of a width equal to thespacing between said cutting wheels.

2. In a salvage apparatus for cutting the lengthwise seam out of a can,a cutting device comprising a support, a pair of cutting elementscarried by the support to rotate with their cutting edges in planesextending axially of said support, means to separate said cuttingelements by a predetermined distance to form a space therebetween havinga greater width than said seam, a second support in spaced parallelrelation with said first support, and a rotatable feed wheel mounted onsaid second support and having a thickness permitting entry thereof intothe space between the cutting elements, at least one of said supportsand elements carried thereby being of a size to pass longitudinallythrough the can, said Wheel having a gripping surface roughened toadvance and feed the cylindrical body portion of a can between said feedwheel and said cutting elements with the lengthwise seam thereofextending into said space and said wheel having side surfaces tocooperate with said cutting elements in shearing relationship, means todrive said cutting elements and wheel, said drive means so mounted andconnected to the means driven as to leave the space between saidsupports unobstructed, whereby the lengthwise seam is advanced into saidspace and will be cut out of and removed from the cylindrical bodyportion of the can in the form of a strip equal to the space between thecutting element.

3. In salvage apparatus for cutting the lengthwise seam out of a can, anelongate support, a cutting device comprising a pair of cutting elementslocated at the end of said support to rotate with their cutting edges insubstantially parallel planes extending axially of the support, means toseparate said cutting elements by a predetermined distance to form aspace therebetween having a greater width than said seam, a secondsupport in spaced parallel relation with said first support, a rotatablefeed wheel mounted on said second support and having a thicknesspermitting entry thereof into the space between said cutting elements,at least one of said supports and the elements carried thereby being ofa size to pass longitudinally through the can, means. to guide thecylindrical body portion of a can over said support and between the feedwheel and said cutting elements, said feed wheel having a scoredperipheral surface to grip and advance the cylindrical body portion of acan between said feed wheel and said cutting elements with thelengthwise seam thereof extending into said space and having sidesurfaces to cooperate with said cutting elements in shearingrelationship, means to drive said cutting elements and wheel, said drivemeans so mounted and connected to the means driven as to leave the spacebetween said supports unobstructed, whereby the lengthwise seam beingadvanced into said space will be cut out of and removed from thecylindrical body portion of the can in the form of a strip having awidth equal to the spacing between said cutting elements.

4. In salvage apparatus for cutting the lengthwise seam out of a can, anelongate support, a cutting device comprising a pair of rotatablecutting elements located at the end of said support to rotate with theircutting edges in substantially parallel planes extending axially of thesupport, means to separate said cutting elements by a predetermineddistance to form a space therebetween having a greater width than saidseam, a second support in spaced parallel relation with said firstsupport, a rotatable feed wheel mounted on said second support andhaving a thickness permitting entry thereof into the space between saidcutting elements, drive means carried within the supports to rotate saidfeed wheel and said cutting elements and leave the space between saidsupports unobstructed, at least one of said supports and the elementscarried thereby being of a size to pass longitudinally through the can,and means to guide the cylindrical body portion of a can along thesupport and between the feed wheel and said cutting elements, said feedwheel having a scored peripheral surface to grip and advance thecylindrical body portion of a can between said feed wheel and saidcutting elements with the lengthwise seam thereof extending into saidspace and said wheel having side surfaces to cooperate with said cuttingelements, whereby the lengthwise seam being advanced into said spacewill be cut out of and removed from the cylindrical body portion of thecan in the form of a cut strip having a width equal to the spacingbetween said cutting elements.

5 In salvage apparatus for cutting the lengthwise seam out of a can, anelongate support, a cutting device mounted at one end of said supportand comprising a pair of power driven rotatable cutting wheels havingtheir cutting edges rotating in substantially parallel planes ex'-tending axially of the support, means to separate said cutting wheels bya predetermined distance to form a space therebetween having a greaterwidth than said seam, a second support in spaced parallel relation withsaid first support, a power driven rotatable feed wheel mounted at oneend of said second support and having a thickness slightly less than thespace between said eutting wheels to enable entry thereof between saidcutting wheels, the power means for driving the cutting wheels and feedwheel rotating said cutting wheels and the feed wheel at equal speedsand including connecting means extending along the supports as to leavethe space between said supports unobstructed, at least one of saidsupports and the elements carried thereby being of a size to passlongitudinally through the can, and means to guide the cylindrical bodyportion of a can over the support and between the feed wheel and saidcutting wheels, said feed wheel having a scored peripheral surface togrip and advance the cylindrical body portion of a can between said feedwheel and said cutting wheels with the lengthwise seam thereof extendinginto said space and having side surfaces to cooperate with said cuttingwheels, whereby the lengthwise seam being advanced into said space willbe cut out of and removed from the cylindrical body portion of the canin the form of a strip having a width equal to the spacing between saidcutting wheels.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number Number UNITED STATESPATENTS Name Date Dittman July 20, 1897 Kling July 30, 1901 Fuchs Nov.10, 1903 Fernow Jan. 31, 1905 Hollingshead et al. Jan. 23, 1906 GagneJan. 2, 1917 Rendano Mar. 22, 1921 Purnell Feb. 9, 1926 Ruby July 23,1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain May 12, 1899

